


Super (Brilliant) Eclipse

by Kestrel337



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Gen, Quick-Fic, Super Moon, eclipse - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:12:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4906789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kestrel337/pseuds/Kestrel337
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The OJS crew watches the Super Blood Moon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Super (Brilliant) Eclipse

**Author's Note:**

> No disrespect intended, no money made.
> 
> Zurich was pure gold, the perfect ending for the funniest radio show ever. I have ignored it for the sake of keeping the family together. 
> 
> Also ignores the existence of time-zones. Or maybe everyone has parties at half-three in the morning for these sorts of things? 
> 
> Quick-fic; no beta, no brit-pick.

Arthur pressed open the door with his hip, and set the tray of moon-themed snacks on the picnic table. “That’s everything then. Cheese, which the moon is not made of, and moon biscuits.” He held up two of them, to display the waxing and waning patterns of icing. 

“Very good, Arthur. Now stop flapping about so Herc can adjust the telescope.” 

“Why d’you have to use the computer for that?” 

Herc looked up from where he was entering the coordinates. The scope started to move, and he spoke over the slight whirring of the motors. “You can do it without, but it takes longer. And this way it’ll follow the moon automatically.” He patted the blue housing fondly. 

Arthur nodded. “I see. No I don’t. The moon’s right there.” He pointed over Herc’s shoulder. “How can you not find it?” 

“He didn’t say he couldn’t. He said it was faster.” Inside the house, the doorbell chimed. “That’s probably Martin and Douglas. Go get the door, Arthur.” 

Martin and Douglas were arguing as they came through to the patio. “You can’t change the rules after we’ve already started, Douglas. _That’s Amore_ doesn’t count.” 

“Don’t you get enough of that when you’re flying?” Herc softened his query by handing around soft drinks. 

“Oh! Look! It’s starting!” Arthur pointed to where the faintest sliver of moon was darkened. 

For some time, they ate snacks and talked enviously of the pilots flying under the super moon. Douglas brought everyone in on the game of ‘songs with moon in the title’; Arthur narrowly beating Martin by pulling out “Mr Moon, Mr Moon”. Before Arthur could suggest charades, the moon was fully shadowed. 

“There we are, gentlemen. The super-moon eclipse. It won’t happen again until 2033.” Carolyn waved her hand majestically, as if she personally had arranged the astronomical event. 

“Why is it red like that?” 

“Ah. Well…” Martin began, but Herc cut him off. 

“I’m actually prepared for that one. I was sure it’d come up.” He handed Douglas a cricket ball. “Here, you do earth.” 

Herc ignored Carolyn’s remark about the whole world depending upon Douglas, and held up a tennis ball. “This is the moon. Martin, if you’ll pick up that torch, and be the sun?” 

They lined themselves up, Douglas holding the cricket ball so it’s shadow fell on the tennis ball. 

“See, there, how some of the light gets past the earth? You can still see just a bit of it, right at the edges of the ball. This part,” -Herc pointed to the dark side- “is night time. And some of that light that slips past, falls on the tennis ball moon?” 

Arthur nodded. 

“You can’t see it here, but the light that gets past the earth is bent a little bit, so it shows as red on the moon.” 

“So, if the dark part is night-time, and the light part is day-time, what’s this part here?” Arthur pointed to the terminator, where night crossed into day. 

“Sunrise, for one side. Sunset, for the other.” 

Arthur smiled, and looked up to the blood moon. “So the moon is in our shadow. But some light gets past, at the edges. And when we look up there, we’re seeing the light from all the sunrises, and all the sunsets, in the whole entire world?” 

The OJS family was silent for a long moment, digesting what Arthur had just said. 

“I’d never thought of it like that, Arthur, but in a way, you’re right. What a brilliant observation.”


End file.
